Arch Fiber providing gigabit Internet to T-REx

Arch Fiber Networks, a St. Louis-based provider of dark fiber, will provide the Downtown T-REx co-working space on Washington Avenue with gigabit Internet connectivity for the next decade.

Arch Fiber officials announced the 10-year deal, which they said will save T-REx officials roughly $3,500 per month in operating costs — or $420,000 over the course of the deal — on Tuesday.

T-REx, located at 911 Washington Ave., is home to more than 90 startup companies and hundreds of entrepreneurs. Arch Fiber will use two dark fiber cables to provide the faster broadband speeds.

Jay DeLong, vice president for new ventures and capital formation for the St. Louis Regional Chamber, said Arch Fiber’s pro bono services provided T-REx entrepreneurs the type of broadband connectivity they need to effectively grow their businesses.

T-REx officials have been rehabbing the Lammert Building since October — the building was purchased using $4.9 million in New Markets Tax Credits allocated by the St. Louis Development Corporation, which raised a $1.7 million investment by St. Louis-based U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation.

Entrepreneurs are now operating on Lammert’s second, sixth, seventh and eighth floors as well as in the basement.

“We’re excited to be part of the growing tech community in downtown St. Louis, and we look forward to staying involved,” said Thomas Allen, founder and president of Arch Fiber Networks.